Small Business Information Technology

Can your small business get both affordable professional-class IT service and peace of mind? The secret lies in having a technology services provider handle your technical solutions.
To stay competitive, small businesses must make the most of current technology. But it’s expensive, time consuming, and inefficient to maintain a full-time IT department like larger companies. A true Professional Technology Services Provider offers on-demand talent, depth of experience, deep resources and huge economies of scale. Here are the top 10 benefits you’ll see.

Benefit #1: Stay Focused On Core Business Functions
People are happiest doing what they do best. And they get frustrated by tasks that distract them from it. Researching solutions, implementing new technology and fixing IT-related problems are extremely inefficient for non-IT professionals. Free up internal staff for revenue-generating functions and the business of business.

Benefit #2: Tap Economies Of Scale And Purchasing Power
Due to a single focus on IT, sechnology services providers achieve greater efficiencies and economies of scale. They consolidate purchasing power and have access to deep and broad knowledge bases. Using developed best practices, tasks are completed more efficiently than small businesses can do on their own. The means real cost savings– both in time and money.

Benefit #3: Reduce Cost and Control Operating Expenses
The business value of technology services providers results in very hard dollar savings. In almost all cases, small businesses will spend 25% to 50% less than the cost of even one mid-level IT professional. Then take recruiting, training, vacation, sick days, turnover and other management issues out of the equation to see even more savings. Costs are budgeted, predictable and controlled.

Benefit #4: Access Highly Specialized Talent
Small businesses cannot cost effectively achieve the scale and flexibility to properly support their technology environments. Even a very experienced and dedicated IT employee has limits to skills and avenues for help. Professional technology services providers offer access to teams of IT specialists that deliver the cross-sectional IT knowledge needed to provide both on-going and critical support for small business networks.

Benefit #5: Get Services On-Demand
Many small businesses face the challenges of growth and the burden of scaling back. Both cases present a genuine HR problem when relying on in-house IT resources. Small businesses need the agility of just-in-time resources for emergencies and the flexibility to adjust technology support levels. With a professional technology services provider, sudden changes won’t affect the livelihood or morale of employees.

Benefit #6: Help Employees Innovate and Stay Productive
Communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing allows employees to innovate. These capabilities are delivered through a multitude of technologies including file servers, central databases, broadband connectivity, mobile platforms, email communications, and many others. However, true productivity and business benefit can only be realized when this complex technology is properly planned, implemented and maintained. The best practices and comprehensive experiences around planning, implementing and maintaining such systems allow technology services providers to successfully deliver these productivity improvements.

Benefit #7: Reduce Downtime
Even a few minutes of systems downtime carry enormous business costs. Maximizing uptime must be a high priority. Small businesses can longer afford issues with internet connectivity, email communications, corrupt data or systems failure-the cost of reacting to these events is just too high. Professional technology services providers offer planned, measured approaches to pro-active systems maintenance, security, backup and disaster recovery.Benefit #8: Get A Technology Edge Over Competitors
Don’t just level the playing field: take advantage of new technologies for a competitive advantage. Technology services providers keep up with the latest solutions through ongoing training and real-world experience. They know how to implement the latest hardware, software, and network applications available. Just as important: they know which technologies are not worth the investment.

Benefit #9: Attract and Retain Employees
Employees want to work in an environment where their computers are up and running. Employees want to be competitive with their rivals and they want the technology tools that really help them deliver. Potential new talent will weigh your company’s technology prowess. Utilizing a professional technology services provider allows small businesses to meet these expectations and increases the ability to attract and retain employees.

Benefit #10: Access Otherwise Unavailable Vendor Support
Access to manufacturers is crucial in effectively supporting complex technology. When available, technology manufacturers traditionally provide basic or unreliable direct end-user support. With a well-established professional technology services provider, small businesses enjoy the benefits of priority access to Microsoft, Cisco and thousands of other technology vendors.

If you need hardware/software support fill out the form below

Can your business use a consultant?

Why use a Consultant?

Before making the decision to approach a Consultant of any type you should have a clear idea of exactly what you want to achieve. Consultants provide a wide range of services, here are some of the main reasons for calling in a Consultant: External skills required Widening of your experience Independent advice Impartial or professional judgement The work could not be done in house An experienced Consultant possesses specialist knowledge, skills and a variety of personal attributes. Although success cannot be guaranteed for every engagement, a suitably qualified and experienced Consultant should have the greatest probability of providing a satisfactory result. It is essential for a successful working relationship that as much information as possible is shared with the Consultant, this will ensure the Consultant can make the correct decisions and ultimately ensure a good long term working relationship.

Benefits of using a Consultant

Consultants provide a wide range of services including information, a professional opinion, technical expertise, facilitating skills, training, advocacy and much more. Below are some of the main benefits of using a Consultant: Gets the job done! Goals are widened or altered Advice and guidance is gained on dealing with issues or problems New expertise is introduced New intelligence gained Weight is lent to strategies Plans are sharpened Objectives/Policies are clarified There are many benefits that you will get out of using a Consultant and these may be determined more specifically by the reason you have used them, so it is essential that you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and that you impart this information to the Consultant to avoid any confusion or misunderstanding. Choosing a Consultant If the consultancy is going to be very short it is unlikely that a Consultant will be prepared to attend an interview. However, if it is going to be a longer term relationship you should arrange to meet with the Consultant before making a financial decision. Some Consultants may produce a proposal that doesn't meet your time scale or budget, but most Consultants are willing to negotiate, so if you are happy with their proposal you shouldn't rule them out on this basis. In selecting a Consultant you should be confident that you have the best person/people for the job. You must be confident that you can have a successful working partnership. There are a number of questions you should ask the Consultant, these could include: What similar work have you done before? What experience and skills do you have? What are your fees and do you charge VAT? Are there likely to be any additional costs involved? Do you charge for an initial consultation? Are you available on the dates required? Can you provide references? Why are you interested in doing this work? It is important that the Consultant is interested in the project and should ask questions about the organisation and the brief.

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Turn Trash to Treasure with Online Swapping
 

By: Kara Ohngren | August 19, 2010 1:30 PM

It's undeniable that the recession has created a more conscious consumer. Coming off a binge of consumption, more people are simplifying their lives and looking for new ways to save money. The age-old practice of bartering has recently seen resurgence online where people are trading everything from books, to cars, to manual labor.

"Swapping is a very natural behavior that occurs in all of our everyday lives, traditionally with our family and friends offline," says Jeff Bennett, CEO of the one million-member online trading site Swaptree.com. "With the web becoming an increasingly social place, we're now seeing a real emergence online."

Not only does virtual swapping create a massive marketplace where people can save money, there are also some serious environmental benefits to reusing goods. read more...

Make your business run smoother with an online scheduler

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An online scheduler is a perfect fit for the mental health professional that maintains a solo office or any other small business that handles multiple clients. Often times these one person offices use a regular answering service or voice mail to handle phone calls.

Solo Office
The simple fact is that with a solo office there is usually no budget for a full time receptionist. The problem with this is it complicates the process of setting appointments.
When a patient calls and gets an answering service they can't set an appointment. Ditto with voice mail. Each requires that there is a return call made to schedule the appointment. And if the patient isn't available when the return call is made there is more wasted time.

Online Scheduler
One good alternative is using an on line scheduling service. This allows a patient to set up an appointment with their initial phone call or they can set up appointments on line. The therapist/professional can even set up appointments through an easy to use interface.

One of the best parts of an on-line scheduler though is that reminder call, e-mails and text messages can be sent out to avoid missed appointments. Plus the therapist can easily check appointments being made from any computer or using an i-phone, blackberry, or other phone that can access the internet or receive text messages.

Then too, what if the therapist/professional requires a scheduled appointment to be changed? It's easily done with a couple quick clicks of a mouse. The patient will receive a voice call, e-mail or text message telling them that the appointment is canceled and allows them to set a new one quickly and easily.

Back Up The Schedule
Another great feature of using an on line scheduler is that you have a back-up of all your appointments that is securely stored of site. That way if your computer crashes or you loose your appointment book all that information is safely stored just a couple clicks away.

Conclusion
Using an online scheduler saves time and money. Appointments are made or changed easier and reminders are sent out to patients to avoid missed appointments.

Try it for Free Click Here

Remote Data Back Up

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Remote Data Backups

Protect Your Most Valuable Asset... Your Data!

What would you do if you suddenly lost your data? How much would it cost to recover? Would your business survive?

We now provide the most cost effective, reliable, secure and convenient way to automatically back up your mission critical data offsite every night.

Start your FREE 30-day backup trial, and learn more »

(No credit card required, no obligation, full-featured service)

Enjoy peace of mind knowing if the unexpected happens (systems crash, virus, data corruption, fire, flood, theft, sabotage, human error, etc.), your data is secure offsite at our two mirrored data centers and easily accessible to you with just a few clicks, 24/7.

Advantages over Obsolete Backup Solutions

... such as tape
drive, CD / DVD, etc.

• It's Easy: Simple to set up & operate, perfect for non-techies;
• It's Automated: Runs nightly, saves your staff's time;
• It's Fast: Delta block incremental backup transmits only changes;
• It's Secure: Transmitted and stored using military-strength 128-bit AES encryption through Secure Socket Layer at two mirrored, state-of-the-art underground data centers with redundant power and bandwidth.
• It's Offsite: Protects your data from fire, flood, theft, sabotage and human error;
• Free 24/7 Support: No extra charges for support, restores, bandwidth usage, etc.
• Free 30-Day Trial: No credit card required to start using the service unrestricted.

Time & Money Saving Features

....that increase your efficiency and productivity, while minimizing costly data loss and downtime.

• *Easy System Restore: Full system backup files for easy, complete hard drive recovery;
• Remote Web Access: Access your data from any computer with Internet connection;
• 10-File, 30-day Versioning: Restore files up to the last 10 versions or up to the last 30 days;
• Extended Archiving: We store any data deleted from your system for 30 days;

Start your FREE 30-day backup trial, and learn more »

New York Small Business Consulting (to brand or not to brand ? That is the question)

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What Is Branding?

Branding is the foundation of marketing and is inseparable from business strategy. It is therefore more than putting a label on a fancy product. Nowadays, a corporation, law firm, country, university, museum, hospital, celebrity, and even you in your career can be considered as a brand.

As such, a brand is a combination of attributes, communicated through a name, or a symbol, that influences a thought-process in the mind of an audience and creates value.

As branding is deeply anchored in psycho-sociology, it takes into account both tangible and intangible attributes, e.g., functional and emotional benefits. Therefore, those attributes compose the beliefs that the brand's audience recalls when they think about the brand in its context.

The value of a brand resides, for the audience, in the promise that the product or service will deliver. Clearly, a brand can recall memories of a bad experience. The value for the audience then would be to avoid purchasing that brand.

From the perspective of the brand's owner, the value of the brand often lies in the security of higher future earnings, but may also be assessed in terms of votes for a politician, career for an executive, foreign direct investments (FDI) for a country, etc.

In conclusion, branding is the blend of art and science that manages associations between a brand and memories in the mind of the brand's audience. It involves focusing resources on selected tangible and intangible attributes to differentiate the brand in an attractive, meaningful and compelling way for the targeted audience.  

Need help with branding fill out the form below

Marketing Consulting - products and services from Dedicated Business Designs

ARE YOUR CURRENT MARKETING PROGRAMS YIELDING AN APPROPRIATE ROI?

DO YOU HAVE A MARKETING SYSTEM OR IS IT SIMPLY ON OFF MARKETING PIECES WITH LITTLE OR NO RESULTS?

DO YOU HAVE A RELIABLE LEAD GENERATION METHOD?

DO YOU HAVE A SIMPLE AUTOMATED METHOD TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH POTENTIALS?

CAN YOU QUICKLY IDENTIFY YOUR TOP PROSPECTS OR CLIENTS?

Marketing
One certainty about marketing, tracking is essential to its success. Many people refuse to accept the simple truth; marketing is what initiates a sales cycle. There are very few times marketing will bring an instant sale but what it does bring is a prospect. This is where small business owners fail in their marketing plan.

Here is an analogy: If you plant tomatoes today would you go out tomorrow expecting to harvest?Then why would you send out a piece of marketing material and expect the person who receives it to rush to the phone, credit card in hand and say I’m ready to buy all you have to offer.

Sales and gardening have two things in common; they both need to be cultivated. Your client didn’t receive your marketing piece today expecting to buy. The other thing gardening and clients have in common is they both need tending.Plants needs water, sunlight sometimes additional fertilizer to grow, a client need similar attention. Your marketing material must be built in stages, a sales cycle to prepare the client to make that purchase. If this makes sense to you then you understand the value of a marketing consulting service.

You really don’t need consulting if you have the times necessary to invest in learning the processes on your own. If you’re like most small business; you are already too busy with the other things like closing clients, finding clients, dealing with taxes, acquiring loans and all the other many hats you wear day to day to implement a marketing plan. Without a marketing strategy, your company will wither and die.  A marketing consultant or learning how to market is really a must for any business to succeed.

Benefits of our marketing solutions

* Cost effective solutions
* Better client retention
* Stay in touch and up sell previous clients
* Create a web presence(my space, you tube, etc)
* Every email contains a marketing message.
* Use low cost or no cost marketing medium
* Increase market share
* Know your true client market

For a custom quote or more information please fill out the form below or call us at 877-400-9321

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Small business technical secrets.

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What does your business need Google apps (free) or Exchange Server ( $2500)

by Dedicated Business Designs on Saturday September 12, 2009

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Why are so many small companies still dealing with the Microsoft epidemic? We consider it an epidemic because it's a corporate sickness that we have learned to accept even if it cost us thousands per year to deal with.  Case in point exchange server, it can be argued why exchange server is a viable option for large enterprises, what I find most amusing is when a company of 20 or less computers will defend there position on the choice of exchange server over free applications like ZOHO or Google. An exchange server is used for email collaboration and calender sharing there are more features but this is the main reason for an exchange server.

Exchange Server first must be configured by a certified server expert, then as changes begin the cost of ownership for this solution begin to grow as well as whenever Microsoft decides they no longer want to support it in lieu of their bigger and better solution you will then be forced to upgrade.  Don't believe me?  You want proof windows 95, 98, ME, 2000,XP, vista and windows 7. There is your proof of the Microsoft epidemic no matter how good a system operates Microsoft will always want more money, your money, and as long you remain under the guise of MS you will be continually pushed to their new product....period.

A New frontier, options like ZOHO and Google apps can create the same functionality as the MS products at a fraction of the cost of the MS suites, this is where the naysayers will have you to believe that somehow these solutions are inferior or not as secure as the MS option to that I say nonsense. Small business owner are consistently being instructed about the security issues of computing although,  we do internet banking, credit card processing, online purchasing and so much more via the internet, so how is it that using a remote solution or cloud solution can be detrimental to your business, again utter nonsense.

Using a cloud solution may be detrimental to business, their business so of course major corporations software vendors, and the technicians that install them will not want you to use free or low cost solutions. Below is a video of google docs enjoy the video and call us if you need a question or two answered. 877-400-9321

Need help to determine if google apps is right for you click here fill out the form below

Small Business Marketing (ask yourself the tough questions)

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As a business owner, I always try to practice what I preach. My company, American Management Services, has 150 full-time employees around the country, constantly working shoulder-to-shoulder with small business owners whose companies have serious financial problems. We understand the pitfalls of managing employees, keeping cash flowing and micromanaging every last detail of operations.

It isn't easy. I'm the first one to admit that I'm far from perfect, and when I don't follow my own rules, it is always very costly for the company. When a mistake is made, I remind myself that we have to be our own best client. This means that we have to be willing to ask ourselves the really tough questions--questions you should be asking yourself too.



Read entire article at Entrepreneur.com Click Here

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Special Report

A Guide to Self-Employment

The tough job market continues to prompt would-be entrepreneurs to consider joining the ranks of the 9 million self-employed. Here, advice and ideas for getting started 

Click here for business week article

Ready to start up you new venture we can help fill out  the form below

Small business online office suites, they can save you $$$

Cloud Office Suites

Dedicated Business Designs is an authorized Zoho Alliance Partner with experience and expertise in consulting, implementing and supporting Zoho CRM projects as well as the Zoho Business Suite.
Zoho CRM- Customer relationship management (CRM) solutions vary, but for the most part they help businesses manage sales leads, accounts, campaigns, forecasts and activities. Most CRM packages tend to be too heavyweight for the sole proprietor, however. They cost a bundle and contain features that most web workers don’t need. Zoho has a relatively simple CRM solution that’s free for up to three users, and can be tailored to fit all business models

For a custom quote or more information please fill out the form on this website and send us a message all inquiries will be answered within 24 hours.877-400-9321

Online Business Suite

Zoho online business suite -A suite of on line applications including Mail, Document management and collaboration tools that help small and large organizations keep up to date, in sync and more productive using the latest tools and technologies.

Using online business tools will decrease you cost of hardware and software as well as improve customer relationship. This service is also a great tool for office's that encompass great geographical divides or remote employees.

Once you have an understanding of the power of this tool and what it can do for you we are sure you will be pleased with it's performance. Below is a list of all it's features and as a zoho alliance partner we can configure this solution to suite your business needs. Click on the link for a totally free account (up to 10 users) then contact us for a free walk through of this terrific tool.

Fill out the form below for a FREE 30 MINUTE demo to understand the true potential of an online office suite

Dedicated Business Designs: The Cloud Now has an OS (that you can host)

Dedicated Business Designs: The Cloud Now has an OS (that you can host)

Dedicated Business Designs: Cloud vs. SaaS For Small Business

Dedicated Business Designs: Cloud vs. SaaS For Small Business

Dedicated Business Designs: Can Using SAAS help you small business save money?

Dedicated Business Designs: Can Using SAAS help you small business save money?

Dedicated Business Designs: Will the iPad Wow Business Owners?

Dedicated Business Designs: Will the iPad Wow Business Owners?

Will the iPad Wow Business Owners?

Call it the Apple iPad, "Jesus tablet" as some media insiders have, or just Steve Jobs's latest high-tech obsession. Either way, there's no getting around the seismic cultural impact of the consumer electronics industry's latest high-profile launch. However, as many tech experts have been quick to note, hype aside, there's little compelling reason for everyday shoppers or business owners to make the upgrade. Or rather, there isn't quite yet--a fact it may take months to remedy, and that leaves a gaping void just waiting to be filled by legions of budding entrepreneurs.

At surface value, the iPad--a 9.7-inch LED touchscreen-equipped computer that offers multi-touch input, Wi-Fi/wireless broadband access and user-friendly multimedia storage, shopping and playback--promises power on par with a mid-range notebook PC. Debuting in late March in multiple configurations starting at $499 and up and ranging in size from 16GB to 64GB (3G high-speed cellular connectivity optional), Apple sees it spearheading a new category of mobile computing device. It sits somewhere between a smartphone and laptop in power and cost, and offering a 1Ghz Apple A4 chip that promises more advanced processing and graphics power than the iPhone. Consider, though: There's no telling yet whether this potential vertical exists.

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